The Four Horsemen

Scripture Introduction:

This morning we open one of the most sobering and awe-inspiring chapters in all of Scripture.

In Revelation 5, we watched as the Lamb—Jesus Christ—was the ONLY ONE found worthy to take the scroll and open its seals. Now in chapter 6, the Lamb begins to open the seals one by one, and what unfolds is terrifying.

As John is invited to “Come and see,” he witnesses the beginning of God's righteous judgment being poured out on a rebellious world. Today, we’re going to walk through the first four seals, commonly known as "The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse."...

Each horse and rider reveal an aspect of the judgment to come—and each one reminds us that even when it seems like the world is spinning out of control, God remains sovereign over it all.

Notice...

Revelation 6:1–2 NKJV

Now I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals; and I heard one of the four living creatures saying with a voice like thunder, “Come and see.” And I looked, and behold, a white horse. He who sat on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer.

White Horse

There are a few things we notice right off:

He is riding a white horse

He has a bow (no arrows)—

He has a crown that has been given to him

He goes out with one central purpose: TO CONQUER

The question arises as to WHO the one riding the horse is. In reading different commentaries you find different suggestions.

Some suggest it is Christ, who will be see again riding a white horse in Revelation 19:11.

I don’t believe it’s Christ for a couple of reasons:

The rider in Revelation 19 carries a sword, this rider carries a bow.

The rider in Revelation 19 is wearing a “kingly crown” whereas the rider in Revelation 6 is wearing a “victor’s crown” that had been given to him.

Gwyn Pugh notes there are many similarities between the “seal judgments” and the Olivet Discourse, which predicts that FALSE CHRIST come first

Matthew 24:4–5 NKJV

And Jesus answered and said to them: “Take heed that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many.

This crown “was given” to him, which is in the passive voice. Even evil forces cannot act without permission from God.

I personally believe this rider and white horse are the “AntiChrist.” Satan loves to IMITATE the things of God in order to deceive. Two of his greatest weapons are imitation and deception!

What are some lessons we can learn from the white horse and its rider?

Satan’s DECEPTION and IMITATION are already at work

2 Thessalonians 2:3–10 “Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God. Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things? And now you know what is restraining, that he may be revealed in his own time. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming. The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved.”

1 John 4:3 NKJV

and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world.

God is Sovereign Over All!

The world is not out of control, it is under His control. These riders could do nothing and have nothing without His permission. We can trust and rest in Him!

Now the second horse is revealed in Revelation 6:3-4

Revelation 6:3–4 NKJV

When He opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, “Come and see.” Another horse, fiery red, went out. And it was granted to the one who sat on it to take peace from the earth, and that people should kill one another; and there was given to him a great sword.

The “peace” that the antichrist brought is only temporary...

Red Horse

If the white horse brought a sense of temporary peace, as many think the AntiChrist will bring to start with, this horse brings the exact opposite.

Carnage and bloodshed will be left it its wake. Peace will evaporate and it will be replaced by untold destruction.

Akin describes this time as a time of civil unrest, riots in the streets, and rebellion against authority.

It may be like the time Jesus described in Matthew 24:6-10

Matthew 24:6–10 NKJV

And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of sorrows. “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake. And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another.

Throughout history people have been longing and clamoring for peace. All of my life I have been hearing about “peace talks” in the Middle East. Recently we’ve heard about a “cease-fire” between Russia and Ukraine.

We are reminded each and every day that this world, as broken and sinful as it is, will never have lasting peace until the Prince of Peace returns.

I am thankful that the Prince of Peace IS going to return and Scripture makes it clear that we will LEARN WAR NO MORE!

As the third seal is opened the third living creature invites John to see another horse...

Revelation 6:5–6 NKJV

When He opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, “Come and see.” So I looked, and behold, a black horse, and he who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand. And I heard a voice in the midst of the four living creatures saying, “A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius; and do not harm the oil and the wine.”

Black Horse

As the black horse arrives on the scene famine, inflation, and poverty result.

In the OT when they had to carefully weigh out the food it indicated food was very scarce.

Ezekiel 4:16 NKJV

Moreover He said to me, “Son of man, surely I will cut off the supply of bread in Jerusalem; they shall eat bread by weight and with anxiety, and shall drink water by measure and with dread,

Food would be so scarce the cost of wheat would at least 3-12 TIMES ITS NORMAL PRICE, maybe even more. Some indicate that this suggests a quart of wheat would cost an entire day’s wages.

You can only imagine the economic chaos this will bring and will set the stage for the Antichrist to take over the world economic system.

What are some lessons we can be reminded of as this third seal is opened and the black horse comes galloping across the scene...

God is Still Sovereign...Always Has Been and Always Will Be!

Who is it that is opening this scroll and breaking the seals? It is JESUS THE SON OF GOD!

God is still God in the good times and in the bad. In the days of plenty and in the days of scarcity!

We also see that in God’s sovereignty He does not, at this time, allow the oil and the wine to be touched. GOD IS IN CONTROL, EVEN WHEN THINGS SEEM OUT OF CONTROL.

Finally we are introduced to the Pale Horse...

Revelation 6:7–8

“When He opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying, “Come and see.” So I looked, and behold, a pale horse. And the name of him who sat on it was Death, and Hades followed with him. And power was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword, with hunger, with death, and by the beasts of the earth.”

Pale Horse

The color of this horse is an interesting one. The Greek word refers to a color that is a pale-green/yellowish-green/yellowish-pale.

It is a color that reminds us of DEATH...the color of a decomposing body.

The rider of this horse is DEATH and following this horse is said to be “HADES.” Hades represents the abode of the dead...the abode of those who died without Christ as they await judgment.

Death and Hell (Hades) was given the power to wipe out 25% of the world’s population using four different means:

Sword—this most likely refers to death by war

Hunger—famine

Death—most likely refers to some type of plague or pestilence

Beasts of the Earth—could be some type of microscopic virus or because of how the famine is affecting the animal kingdom we may find them turning on humans more and more.

It’s as if all of these seals are working in conjunction with the previous. Often times war leads to famines, famines lead to death...

As we close today, we are reminded that LIFE and DEATH are in the hands of God.

You can be sure that only 1/4 of the population will be affected by these things just as God says.

You can also be sure that physical death will never touch your life and mine without God’s permission and thankfully for the child of God death isn’t really death at all...it’s just a transfer from this earthly home to our Heavenly one!

THIS CAN GIVE US BOTH COURAGE AND COMFORT KNOWING HE IS IN CONTROL!

God is also in Charge of the Limitations

He limits the plagues

He limits the famine

He limits the death and destruction that will take place

We Have Assurance He’s Already Won the Victory over Death, Hell & the Grave

Because of this, the believer can be sure that DEATH, Hell, and the grave are not our destination!

Unbelievers Have NOTHING to Look Forward To

As we have seen today, the Four Horsemen bring deception, war, famine, and death across the earth—but none of them move without the permission of the Lamb.

God is not absent during these future events. He is not caught off guard. He is not overpowered. He is ruling and reigning—even over judgment.

For the believer, this passage gives us both courage and comfort:

Courage, because we know God’s plan is unfolding exactly as He said.

Comfort, because even death is not the end for the child of God—it is simply a doorway into the presence of our Savior.

But for those who do not know Christ, the future holds no hope, only judgment.

Friend, today is the day of salvation. The Lamb who opens the seals is also the Lamb who was slain to save sinners. He offers peace, forgiveness, and eternal life to all who will repent and believe in Him.

As the world looks more and more like the days Revelation describes, may we be found ready, faithful, and watching for His return.